Each of us in our roles as employees, business owners, community members, parents and teachers have the ability to make change in the world. 

We often find ourselves talking about the changes we’d like to see. It’s time we start doing something to make our community reflect who we are and how we want it to be.

1. Let’s build bridges across our province to unite the people within it.
The circumstances people live within, and the lives they lead, are varied across our province. We cannot all believe we understand what it is like to be a single parent living in the north end and similarly understand the trials of being a rural organic farmer.

We need to stop acting in silos and start working with other people in our community. It’s time for us to engage these individuals in the conversation. We need to stop assuming we know what’s good for everyone else.

2. We need to rely on the people and businesses in our local economy to help us achieve our success.
We all need to stop doing all the things we aren’t trained to do, have no expertise in and do poorly and hire an expert to do the things in which we aren’t experts.

This change allows us to shift our focus and concentrate on only doing what we’re good at — and doing it really, really well. 

This simple action can change our economy, enabling us to improve our own capacity while engaging others.  

3. We need to take a stand for what we believe in because our city is all of our business.
Individually, as well as united, we can make change. Being part of the community means working within that community to understand it, improve it and help enact that change.

Let’s start the discussion. We’ll be faced with resistance to change (this is inherent). However, we need to embrace the fact if we don’t evolve, not only will we be left behind, but the world will be a shadow of its former self for our children and their children.

4. We can’t wait around for someone to ask us to take part.
We need to be motivated from within to do it ourselves. We need to become a reflection of the world we want to live in. We need to stop putting up barriers and instead focus on bringing them down.

Christina Carew is a member of FUSION Halifax. Visit FUSIONHalifax.ca to find out how you can get involved to help make Halifax a better place to live, work and play.